Cash for Families in Extreme Poverty
Created By:
John Green & The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
The $20,000 match has been filled. Give now to help reach our target of $100,000 and fund more families in need!
The Happiness Lab host Dr. Laurie Santos sat down with bestselling author John Green to talk about tuberculosis, poverty, and the simple idea that direct cash can save lives.
GiveDirectly will deliver your donation as cash to some of the poorest families in the world—no strings attached. In countries like DRC, Liberia, and Mozambique, where tuberculosis rates are high, these funds help people afford essentials like food, transportation, medicine, and recovery support.
John Green
Giving people money helps fight diseases like tuberculosis (TB)
This is not about funding a drug. It’s about giving people the means to survive and recover.
We already have the tools to treat and cure diseases like TB. What people living in poverty often don’t have is access—to clinics, to food, to stable housing, to time off work. Cash enables all of that:
| Need | How Cash Helps |
|---|---|
| 🥘 Prevention | Families can afford clean food, water, fuel, and uncrowded housing—all of which reduce infection risk. |
| 🧪 Diagnosis | They can pay for transportation and testing that would otherwise be out of reach. |
| 💊 Treatment | Treatment takes months. Cash helps people afford food and skip work to stick with their medication. |
| ❤️ Recovery | After treatment, cash lets families rest, buy food, and rebuild their lives with dignity. |
And the data backs this up. Brazil’s cash transfer program cut TB deaths by over 50%—more than most new drugs:
Your donations will reach communities with high rates of TB
GiveDirectly will deliver your donations as ~$1,000 to families living in extreme poverty via mobile phones—instantly, securely, and without conditions. We operate in countries with high rates of curable disease:
Recent global aid cuts have cut off free or reduced medical support in these vulnerable communities. Your support will empower them to meet their immediate needs.
This cash can reduce illness and reduce child mortality
Watch how families in Malawi used their unconditional cash transfers to improve health outcomes:
The impact of this one-time payment is still seen years because families spend on things that earn them money over time like livestock, farms, education, and news businesses.
Give now and help end the cycle of poverty and disease
Cash is one of the most cost-effective, scalable tools we have to fight both poverty and disease. Give today and you’ll get updates showing who your gift helped and what they did with it. Together, we can help families recover with dignity—and rewrite what’s possible in global health.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is GiveDirectly?
We’re a nonprofit that lets you send money directly to the world’s poorest, no strings attached. In the last decade, we’ve delivered cash to over 1.6 million people across 15 countries and research the impacts it can have for families in need.
How does the match work?
The $20k match has been filled. Give now to help reach our target of $100k and fund more families in need!
The first $20k in donations made through this page will be matched (doubled, 1:1, or 2X). This match comes from John Green and Dr. Laurie Santos, who are each matching $10k in donations—more on why matches work here.
Where will my donation go?
Your donations will be delivered to families living in extreme poverty in African countries with high TB burdens, including Uganda, Liberia, DRC, Kenya, Mozambique. More on where GiveDirectly works here.
How much of my donation will reach someone in need?
Historically, we send about $8 out of every $10 given directly to the world’s poorest and use the other $2 to cover the costs of delivering that cash. Learn more about our costs and efficiency here.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes, donations are tax-deductible in the United States. We accept all major credit and debit cards, PayPal, checks, wires, stocks, cryptocurrencies, and more.
If you’re giving outside the U.S., you can still give to this campaign but your gift may not be tax-deductible.
Reach out to us at [email protected] with any questions or for more information on ways to give.
What if I’d like to make a major gift?
We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at [email protected].
Can I sign up to receive money / aid?
No. In order to be as fair to all as possible, we select recipients using a systematic and proactive set of criteria that vary from country to country, and do not accept inbound applications for our international programs.